Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to catheter assemblies. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a catheter assembly including one or more sealing members for facilitating the fluid interconnection between two or more surfaces of the catheter assembly.
Description of the Related Art
Catheters are flexible medical instruments which facilitate the withdrawal and introduction of fluids from and to body cavities, ducts, and vessels. Catheters may have particular application in a hemodialysis procedure where blood is withdrawn from a blood vessel for treatment, and subsequently returned to the blood vessel for circulation. Known hemodialysis catheter assemblies include multiple lumen catheters, such as dual lumen or triple-lumen catheters, which permit bi-directional fluid flow within the catheter whereby one lumen is dedicated for withdrawal of blood from a vessel and the other lumen is dedicated for return of treated blood to the vessel. During an exemplary hemodialysis procedure, a multiple lumen catheter is inserted into a body and blood is withdrawn through an arterial lumen of the catheter. The removed blood is directed to a hemodialysis machine, via extension tubes, which dialyzes, or purifies, the blood to remove waste and toxins. The dialyzed blood is returned to the patient through a venous lumen of the catheter. One example of such a catheter is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/041,563 filed on Mar. 3, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,731,708, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by this reference.
Typically, a multiple lumen catheter assembly includes a flexible multiple lumen catheter which is connected to a distal side of a more rigid hub assembly and an extension tube assembly which is connected to a proximal side of the hub assembly and is adapted to communicate with a medical device, such as a hemodialysis machine. The connection between the hub assembly and the catheter lumens may be effected by providing a close geometric fit between lumens of the catheter and hub extensions. Such a tight geometric fit may not always provide a fluid tight seal.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an improved seal between the rigid hub assembly and catheter of a catheter assembly as well as between other interconnected components of medical devices.